Saturday, July 26, 2008

Solar Energy for the Home

Like most homeowners, I'm facing a winter of record-high heating bills, and not liking what I see. And, like many of you, I've been wondering about some of the "renewable energy" options that are supposed to wean my house off fossil fuels, help the environment -- and lower the bills.

In my July 19th About the House column for The Wall Street Journal, I explore various solar options for the home using the sun's free heat. These include solutions for domestic hot water as well as electricity. (Click the image above to see a larger diagram of a solar water system.)

On CNBC's "The Call," the host Trish Regan and I explore the topic further and you can see video of solar panels being installed. For those wondering whether we'll still care about renewable energy if oil prices fall, check out the discussion going on at WSJ's Developments blog.

About Pure Shelter

When I bought my first "shelter" -- a 1978 Deck House on two acres -- the location was great, but the structure needed serious updating when it came to energy efficiency and healthy building science. And the yard, well, the weeds had nearly moved into the house. This site is an offshoot of my reporting about the newest tools & trends in home improvement, particularly "green" building and landscaping. (There's also the occasional pet or food post - file that under "inside the shelter.") Hope the ideas help as you improve your home.

-- Gwendolyn Bounds

I'm a journalist (more about me here); information in this blog stems from independent reporting. I do not accept payment or advertising from companies mentioned on this site other than news organizations with which I'm affiliated. My views do not necessarily represent those of the media organizations I've worked for.